Just to clear up a misconception about the use of 1/4 casks, they allow 30% more contact with wood than barrels and this changes the maturation, IT DOESN'T SPEED IT UP, if it did everyone would be using them. What happens is that there is an infusion of wood extractives that alter the flavour into another style, which is what every single malt distillery wants. To speed up maturation you need this extraction plus oxygenation [i.e. contact with air] and there's no way that you can speed this up in 1/4 casks. I talked with a blender about 2 years ago who had run a trial to see if the speed up of maturation happens and in his words " it doesn't" and he was somewhat disappointed.
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